This invention relates to dynamoelectric ma` chines and, while it is of general application, it is particularly adapted for embodiment in a rotary electromagnetic fluid pump and will be specifically described in such an application.

Heretofore, there have been devised numerous forms of electric motor operated fluid pumps. Generally the motor and the pump have been separate units mounted on a common shaft so that the space occupied, the weight, the cost, and the complexity of the combination unit have been the sums of such factors of the two components, while the over-al1 emciency of the unit has been the product of the eillciencies of the two components. There has also been proposed a combination motor and pump in which the rotor of the motor constituted also the pumping element. Such combined units have been proposed incorporating pumps of the centrifugal, the rotary, the gear and the screw types. However, while some of these combined units have had limited use, they have not gone into general application primarily because of two factors: (1) .The problem has always been approached in terms of a combination of a conventional motor and a conventional pump rather than in terms of an entirely new motor construction or an entirely new pump construction, or both, particularly adapted to the combination. The result has been that the motor has not been particularly adapted to the pump or vice versa and the design has been n, compromise. (2) As a corollary of the first factor, the resulting combined motor and pump construction has been complicated, rather than simplified, by the combination and the resulting design again has been a compromise.- For example, such a combination of motor and pump has generally complicated the design of the bearings, packings, and inlet and outlet ports for the unit while, on the other hand, it would be highly desirable to provide a combined motor and pump unit in which the bearings and packings are simpliiled to a maximum extent or even entirely eliminated.

In the operation of a pump of the positivedisplacement type, such as a rotary pump, there also frequently arises the problem of unloading the pump in case of excessive back-pressures, such as may be occasioned by obstructions in the outlet connections of the pump, in order to avoid building up of disruptive pressures within the pump chamber. These automatic unloading mechanisms are complicated and costly in construction. Therefore, it is desirable to provide a positive-displacement pump which automatically unloads without the unloading devices.

The problems discussed above frequently occur in other motor-driven devices, such as mixers, grinders, crushers, etc., in which it is desired to rotate or -gyrate a working element in a chamber sealed from the driving motor structure.

It is an object of the invention, therefore, to provide a new and improved dynamoelectric machine which is effective to overcome one or more o1' the above-mentioned limitations and disadvantages of such devices of the prior art.

It is another object of the invention to provide a new and improved rotary electromagnetic fluid pump embodying the dynamoelectric machine of the invention.

It is a further object of the invention to provide a new and improved dynamoelectric machine and a rotary electromagnetic fluid pump embodying the same which completely eliminates the requirement of bearings and packings.

In accordance with the invention, a dynamoelectric machine comprises relatively movable field and magnetic armature members, one of the members defining a chamber and the other being of convex configuration and of lesser cross-sectional area than said chamberand disposed for relative gyratory motion within said chamber. and winding means on the fleld member for producing relative gyratory motion between the members.

Further in accordance with the invention an electromagnetic fluid pump of the rotary type comprises relatively rotatable field and magnetic armature members, one of the members defining a chamber and the other being of convex configuration and of lesser cross-sectional area than the chamber and disposed for relative gyratory motion within said chamber. The Dump also includes means for maintaining a partition between the members for all positions of such other member, fluid inlet and outlet ports to the chamber on opposite sides of the partition means, Fand winding means on the field member for producing relative gyratory motion between the members.

For a better understanding of my invention, together with other and further objects thereof, reference is had to the following description provisions of the accessory taken in vconnection with the accompanying drawings while its scope will be pointed out in the appended claims.

Referring now to the drawings, Fig. 1 is a longitudinal sectional view and Fig. 2 a cross-sectional view of a dynamoelectric machine embodying the invention incorporated in an electromagnetic fluid pump of the rotary type.

Referring now to the drawings, there is illustrated a variable-speed dynamoelectric machine comprising relatively movable eld and magnetic amature members, one of the members defining a circular cylindrical chamber and the other of the members being of convex configuration, for example of circular cylindrical cross-section, and oi lesser cross-sectional area than the chamber. For example, the field member i may be the stationary member, defining a circular cylindrical chamber Ilia, while the armature member I i may be the movable member. The chamber Ilia of the iield member may be formed by a cylindrical sleeve I2 of brass or other non-magnetic material closed by end plates il and I4 which may also be of brass or other non-magnetic material. The amature I I is disposed for gyratory motion within the chamber Ilia; that is it has complete freedom of motion transverse to its axis and is of an axial length equal to the distance between the end plates il and I4 so that it completely fills the axial space therebetween.

'I'he field member I0 is provided with winding means for producing relative gyratory motion between the neld and armature members, specically for causing the armature member Il to roll around the inner periphery of the chamber lla. This winding means may be of any suitable type but there is shown by way oi' example a plurality of bipolar exciting magnets ila-lil, inc.. peripherally arranged and equally spaced around the field member i0, each with one pole adjacent the chamber Ila. For example, the magnets Ila-ill, inc.. may be provided with elongated magnetic cores lia-lil, inc., respectively, on which the windings are mounted, the magnetic cores extending mirallei to the axis of the structure with one end of each overlying the cylinder I2 dening the chamber Illa. The eld member Il also includes a continuous magnetic yoke or ring i1 of magnetic material engaging the other ends of the several magnetic cores lia-|81, inc., for completing the magnetic circuits of the several magnets.

The dynamoelectric machine of the invention also includes commutating means for successively exciting the magnets lia-lil, inc., in groups progressing around the periphery of the field member with their poles adjacent the chamber Ila oi' alternating polaritles, thereby to produce an asymmetric magnetic field across the Jchamber I 0a, rotationally shifting to effect the relative gyratory or rolling motion of the armature member Ii. This commutating means again may be of any suitable type but there is illustrated in Fig. 2, by way ot example, a commutator comprising a cylindrical body il of insulation material in which are slidably mounted a plurality of radially extending contact brushes Ila-Ill, inc., being provided with spring contact terminals a-201, inc., respectively, for maintaining pressure on the contact brushes and providing external circuit connections. The body Il has a cylindrical bore Ila in which is disposed a rotatable contact structure comprising a body portion 2| o! insulation material having a segmental contact element 22 secured thereto and of such an extent that in all angular positions it bridges a plurality, for example three, of the several brushes Isa-|91, inc. The contact element 22 is also provided with a conductive extension 22a terminating in a contactslip ring 22h, on which bears a brush 23.

The several spring contact elements 20a-201, inc. are individually connected to one of the terminals of the windings iSd-|51, inc., respectively, by a group of conductors which may be in the form of a cable 24. The other terminals of the windings ld-|51, inc., are connected to a common conductor or bus 25 which is connected to one side of a suitable supply circuit 28 which may be either direct or alternating current and of any desired voltage. The other side of the supply circuit 26 is connected directly to the contact brush 23. In order that the poles of the electromagnets lia-|51, inc., adjacent the chamber iDa and acting on the armature member Il may be of alternate polaritles, the successive windings lia-|51, inc., are connected through the commutating means with alternate polarities as indicated in Fig. 2; that is, corresponding terminals of the several windings are alternately connected to the common bus conductor 25 and, via the cable 24, to the contact elements 20a-201, inc., of the commutator structure.

In order to determine the speed of the dynamoelectric machine described, there is provided an auxiliary motor 21, which may be of only nominal power rating, energized from the supply cirvcuit 28 through a manually adjustable resistor 28 and a switch 29 for initiating and stopping operation of the machine. The motor 21 is connected to drive the rotor 2| of the commutator by any suitable driving connection as indicated schematically by the dot-dash line interconnecting the motor shaft and the rotor 2|.

It is believed that the operation of the dynamoelectric machine of the invention will be apparent to those skilled in the art from the foregoing description. In brief, assuming the parts to occupy the positions illustrated in the drawings, it is noted that the contact element 22 of the contact structure is eilective to connect the brushes |91, IOa and IIb to one side of the supply circuit 26 and this connection is completed through the contact elements 201, 20a and 2lb, respectively, and the cable 24 to one terminal of each of the windings III, Ila and lib, respectively, through the windings and their other terminals to the common bus conductor 26, thence to the other side of the circuit 28. It will be assumed that, with the connections described, the polarity of the core iGa adjacent the chamber Ia is north, while that of the cores Ib and ill adjacent the chamber Ilia is south. The magnetic field through the chamber Ilia and the armature member II will then be in the form of the solid arrowed lines of Fig. 2. The action of this field, as is well understood in the art. is to attract the armature Il to the position shown in Fig. 2 so as to reduce to a minimum the reluctance of the magnetic circuits between the magnets Ila and lib and between the magnets lla and lll.

If it be assumed that the contact structure 2l of the commutating means rotates in a counterclockwise direction, a short time interval later the contact element 22 will have moved from the brush Isl and made contact with the brush itc. The result is that the electromagnets lia, lib and i5c are now energized and their magnetic fields are represented by the dashed arrowed lines. `The result is to attract the armature ii from the position shown in Fig. 2 to a position in which it is tangent to the wall of the chamber Ilia directly beneath the electromagnet lib. In a similar manner, as the commutating means is driven by the motor 21, there is developed a magnetic field which is asymmetrical with-respect to the chamber No, that is `one that does not pass through the diameter of the chamber as in the case of a conventional rotating-'field electric motor, and this field rotationally shifts about the axis 'of the chamber Wa, attracting the amature Il with it. As a result, the arma- .ture fl is given a gyratory motion within the chamber Ilia, rolling around the inner wall of the chamber and .thushavingl a component of angular motion about its own axis in a reverse direction, that is in a clockwise direction, but at a very much lower angular velocity. The dynamoelectric machine of the invention so far described is suitable fora variety of uses. For example, if mounted to gyrate about a vertical axis and the top end plate i! removed, the construction would serve as a mixer, grinder, etc., in which the materials to be processed are disposed in lthe chamber lla. However, the dyhamoelectric machine of the, invention is particularly suitable for embodiment in an electromagnetic fluid pump of the rotary type in which the chamber ila serves as the pump chamber. 'I'he structure so far described'may be readily adapted for operation as a pump by providing means for maintaining a partition between the field and amature members for all positionsof the movable member and disposing fluid inlet and outlet ports to the chamber Ita on opposite sides of the partition means. This construction is shown in Figs. 1 and 2 in which the cylinder I2 defining the chamber lla is provided with a radially extending member l! disposed between the magnets Il! and iig and extending axially the distance between the end plates I I and Il. 'Ihe member 3l is provided with a radially extending recess llia of rectangular cross-section in which is disposed a vane 3i which is biased or pressed into engagement with the armature Il by any suitable means, such as one or more springs I2. The member Il isalso provided with apair of radially extending ports 30h and llc, disposed closely adjacent opposite sidesl of the vane recess 30a. Inlet and outlet fluid connections 4Il and 34 are connected to the inlet and outlet ports lub andlllc, respectively.

With the dynamoelectric machine operating as described above, the gyratory motion of the armature member II cooperating with the vane Il and the inlet and outlet ports ,3th, llc, respectively, comprises a rotary pump operating in a conventional manner so that a'detailed description is unnecessary. The operation in one respect is, however. unconventional. It is well known that the rotary type pump is a positivedisplacement pump and that, in the operation of 6 characteristic of the Apump of the invention may be considered as a form of automatic unloading.

It will also be understood that the pressure' delivered and the volume output of the 'pump may be determined by the relative diameters of the pump chamber lha and the armature member il, by their axial lengths, and by the speed of rotation of the armature memberv Il as determined by the speed of the comm'itator means, in accordance with the design practice of conventional rotary pumps. f

It will be seen also that the rotary pump of the invention described completely eliminates the requirement oi bearings and packing's, thus greatly increasing 4the simplicity and reducing the cost of the apparatus. Furthermore, friction and wear are correspondingly reduced to aminimum, consisting only of the friction of the armature ii rolling around within the periphery of the .pump chamber 10a. Generally the andature -II Viriay be lubricated entirely by the fiuidbeing although, in case the pump is Ayvqirlcing on a' gaseous fluid, some additional lubricant may be desirable.

In certain applications where the use of bearings and packings is not objectionable, the' commutator structure may be driven directly by the armature through a crank and shaft extending through one of the end plates i3 or il. With this connection the pump will have a characteristic somewhat similar to that of a direct-current series motor and will operate at a .speed varying inversely with the back-pressure on the pump. j

While there has been described what is atpresent considered to be the preferred embodiment of the invention, it will be apparent toathose skilled in the art that various changes and modiexcitation of the electromagnets lia-lil, inc.

of. delivering may be controlledfby the design of the magnets effecting its gyratory motion. This fications may be made therein without departing from the spirit or scope of the invention.

What is claimed as new is:

1. An electromagnetic fluid pump of the rotary type comprising, relatively movable field :and magnetic armature members, one of said niembers defining a pump chamber and the :other being of convex configuration and of lesser crosssectional area than said chamber and disposed for relative gyratory motion with respect tn and within said chamber, a vane mounted in .and radially slidable with respect to said chamber member and disposed to engage said other member to form a partition therebetween, fluid-inlet and outlet ports to said chamber on opposite sides of said vane, a plurality of exciting magnets peripherally arranged around said field member, a rotary commutator including a plurality of convductive elements individually connected in circuit with said electromagnets and electricallylinsulated from said armature and field members, and means for driving said commutator to excite said electromagnets-successively for producing an asymmetric magnetic field across said chamber rotationally shifting to effect said relative gyratory motion. j'

2. An electromagnetic fluid pump of the rotary type comprising, a stationary cylindricaleld member defining a pump chamber, a rotatable cylindrical magnetic armature member of lesser cross-sectional area than said chamber and flisposed for gyratory motion with respect toland within said chamber, a vane mounted in'and radially slidable with respect to said chamber member and disposed to engage said other member to form a partition therebetween, fluid" inlet and outlet ports to said chamber on opposite sides 7 o! said vane, a plurality of exciting magnets periperally arranged around said neld member, a rotary commutator including a plurality of conductive elements individually connected in circuit with said electromlnets and electrically insulated irom said armature and iield members, Emeans lor driving said commutator to excite said electromagnets successively for producing an asymmetric magnetic neld across said chamber rotationally shifting to effect said gyratory motion.

- GEORGE C. STODDARD.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the ille of this patent: Y